Overview
Lewis Morris was a wealthy New York landowner who led a long public career shaped by military service, political leadership, and efforts to support the establishment of the independent United States of America. After serving as a militia officer during the American Revolutionary War and signing the Declaration of Independence, he balanced military duty with civil responsibilities in Westchester County and the New York Legislature. Following the war, he rebuilt his damaged estate, served on important state boards, and supported the ratification of the United States Constitution.
Personal Facts
- Born: April 8, 1726, in Morrisania, New York.
- Parents: Lewis Morris Jr. (father), Tryntje “Catherine” Staats (mother).
- Spouse: Mary Beekman Walton (1749).
- Died: January 22, 1798, in Morrisania, New York. He was 71.
- Buried: Saint Ann’s Episcopal Church Graveyard, Mott Haven, New York.
- Part of: Signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Significance
Lewis Morris is important to American History for his role in the Patriot Cause in New York and his involvement in the American Revolution. As a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Morris is one of the nation’s Founding Fathers.
Biography
Early Life and Career
Lewis Morris, born on April 8, 1726, in Morrisania, New York, grew up under the close guidance of his father, Lewis Morris Jr., who oversaw his early studies and later allowed him to attend Yale College. Morris left the school in 1746 and returned home to help manage the family’s large estates.
- For the next 16 years, Morris lived a comfortable life as a landowner and expanded his properties in New York and New Jersey.
- On September 24, 1749, he married Mary Walton, a member of a well-known and wealthy New York family, adding to his resources and strengthening his standing in the Province of New York.
- Morris became the final lord of the manor of Morrisania after his father’s death on July 7, 1762.
New York Politics and the Patriot Cause
After Morris inherited the estate, he developed a strong interest in politics, encouraged in part by his brother Richard Morris.
- Morris was appointed as a Judge of the Admiralty Court in 1760 (he resigned in 1774)
- He served a single term in the New York Assembly in 1769.
Soon after, Morris’s open criticism of British policy, including the Townshend Acts and the Quartering Act (1765), created tension among his neighbors in Westchester County, including the Philipse Family, De Lancey Family, and Pell Family, who supported British policies.
- Some of them claimed that Morris aligned with the growing Patriot Cause because he felt overlooked for public appointments.
- Despite the opposition from those prominent families, Morris became the leader of the Patriot Cause in Westchester County, the minority faction.
New York Provincial Congress
Morris was heavily involved in the process of electing Westchester County’s delegates to the Second Continental Congress.
- On March 28, 1775, eight deputies were selected to attend the New York Provincial Congress, which was to convene on April 20, in New York City. Morris was the chairman of this group.
- Two weeks later, on April 11, 1775, and just over a week before the Battles of Lexington and Concord (April 19, 1775), Morris led a meeting of local leaders from the southeastern towns at White Plains to choose delegates for the New York Provincial Congress.
- Afterward, he was elected as a delegate to Congress.
AHC Notes
- News that the war had started reached New York City and Westchester County on April 23, 1775.
- Westchester County organized a Committee of Correspondence on May 8, 1775, for the purpose of supporting the Patriot Cause and communicating with Patriots in other colonies. The “Committee for the County of Westchester” was the first political group in the county to officially support the Continental Congress.
Second Continental Congress
Morris took his seat in Congress on May 15, 1775, where he focused on handling practical tasks rather than shaping broad national policies.
- Morris served on the committee that selected the positions for the Continental Army in New York. This committee was led by George Washington.
- He joined a committee appointed to acquire ammunition and military stores for the American war effort. In this role, most of his efforts involved writing letters to buy tent cloth, to produce sulfur and saltpeter, and to secure gunpowder.
In September 1775, Morris traveled to Pittsburgh as a commissioner for Native American Indian affairs in the Middle Department and met with leaders of western tribes to discuss forming peaceful trade relations. Although these negotiations ultimately failed, Morris remained involved with the committee.
Westchester County Militia
On June 7, 1776, the Third New York Provincial Congress expanded the Westchester County Militia, and Morris was appointed as Brigadier General.
- Morris received leave from Congress to assume command, which allowed him to lead his troops during the New York Campaign in the fall of 1776.
- During the campaign, British forces drove the Continental Army across Morris’s property as General William Howe pushed through Westchester County, eventually forcing George Washington to retreat to New Jersey.
Declaration of Independence
Morris was not in Philadelphia when the Declaration of Independence was adopted. However, he did attend the Fourth New York Provincial Congress, held in White Plains on July 9, 1776. During the sessions, New York approved independence. Later that year, he returned to Congress and signed the Declaration.
Unfortunately, Morris’s support for the Patriot Cause and independence made his estate a target for British forces. After the British captured New York City, they plundered the estate, burned the buildings and fields, and drove the livestock away. Fellow Founding Father, Benjamin Rush, said that Morris, “… suffered the loss of many thousand pounds by the depredations of the British army, upon his property near New York, without repining. Every attachment of his heart yielded to his love of his country.”
Return to New York Politics
Morris served as county judge in Westchester from May 8, 1777, to February 17, 1778, and from 1777 to 1790, he served at intervals in the upper house of the New York Legislature.
Post-War Career
Following the war, Morris retired from the militia and started rebuilding his estates; however, his commitment to public service continued to draw him away.
- In 1784, he became a member of the first Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York.
- Two years later, in 1786, he joined the Council of Appointment.
- In 1788, he worked hard at the Poughkeepsie Convention as part of the Federalist faction, urging approval of the United States Constitution, which his younger half-brother, Gouverneur Morris, had helped draft.
Death
In his later years, Morris continued to work on restoring his estates until he died on January 22, 1798.
Accomplishments and Milestones
- 1726, April 8 — Lewis Morris was born at Morrisania in Westchester County, New York.
- 1746 — Morris left Yale College before finishing his degree to help manage the family estates.
- 1762 — He inherited Morrisania and became the third and last lord of the manor.
- 1769 — Morris served a term in the New York Assembly.
- 1775, May 15 — He took his seat as a delegate in the Second Continental Congress.
- 1776, June 7 — Morris was appointed Brigadier General of the Westchester County Militia.
- 1776 — He returned to Philadelphia and signed the Declaration of Independence.
- 1776 — Morris took part in the New York Campaign as British forces pursued Washington through Westchester.
- 1777–1778 — He served as county judge in Westchester.
- 1777–1790 — Morris served intermittently in the upper house of the state legislature.
- 1779, August 5 — Fighting occurred at Morrisania during wartime skirmishing.
- 1781, January 22 — Fighting occurred at Morrisania.
- 1782, March 4 — Fighting occurred at Morrisania.
- 1788 — Morris attended the Poughkeepsie Convention and supported the adoption of the United States Constitution.
- 1798, January 22 — He died at his estate.
AP US History
Definition
Lewis Morris (1726–1798) — Morris was a New York landowner, militia officer, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence who balanced military duty with extensive civil service during and after the American Revolutionary War. He served in the New York Provincial Congress, fought in the New York Campaign (1776), and later held judicial and legislative positions in Westchester County and the state government. After the war, he rebuilt his damaged estate, joined key state boards, and supported ratification of the U.S. Constitution at the Poughkeepsie Convention.
Alignment
Lewis Morris is part of the following units, topics, and chapters in the AP US History curriculum:
